''Trying to Grow'' is a 1991 novel by

Firdaus Kanga Firdaus Kanga , born in Mumbai 1960 to a Parsi Family, Kanga is an Indian writer, journalist and actor who currently lives in London. He has written a novel '' Trying to Grow'' a semi-autobiographical novel set in India and a travel book ' ...

, published by

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

. The novel is semi-autobiographical, set in urban

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and is about a young boy growing up with brittle bones. The protagonist, who would never grow taller than four feet, finds his way into the world of sexuality and adulthood. It is set in, and humorously describes, the Parsi community in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. It depicts a defiant Indian family with fond memories of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

and everything

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. ''Trying to Grow'' is told through the eyes of the young boy—called Brit because of his brittle bones and also because it reminds his mother of Britain. Brit grows up to prefer the Kama Sutra to

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. The novel does not allow gender or disability to impede a growing boy’s desire for sex and love.

Film adaptations and references

''Trying to Grow'' was made into an EMMA award-winning BBC-BFI film entitled ''

Sixth Happiness ''Sixth Happiness'' is a 1997 British drama film directed by Indian director Waris Hussein. It is based on the 1991 autobiography of Firdaus Kanga entitled '' Trying to Grow''. Kanga played himself in this film about Britain, India, race and se ...

'' with author

starring in the main lead. The novel was selected to be part of The Vintage Book of Indian Writing: 1947-97 - a major anthology of the work of the most important and influential Indian writers of the last 50 years. This volume was published by

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Wes ...

and Elizabeth West to coincide with the anniversary of India's independence. The novel has just been re-published in India by

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

Plot

''Trying to Grow'' features a young man, born in

, with brittle bones, who would never grow taller than four feet. His mother, an Anglophile enamoured with everything English (stockpiling Quality Street to Marmite), names her little boy Brit, after his brittle bones and because it was short for her favourite Britain. Brit turns out to be a spiky, opinionated and naughty - he knows his small size allows people to assume he is a safe and innocent haven for their secrets. He prefers sex to Shakespeare, although he gets to be good at both as he grows older. He's schooled at home, so he knows more about Charles I than the boys next door - until, that is, puberty arrives, with a sexy new boy next door. A relationship with a woman also follows. All through is the tenderness and heartbreak of a young man experiencing love and desire - having his heart reinforced and mended, which is far more intense than the pain of his broken bones. The characters are semi-autobiographical and set in the Parsi community in India.

Major themes

*Sexuality, disability

Notes

{{reflist 1991 Indian novels Indian novels adapted into films Novels set in Mumbai Novels about diseases and disorders Bloomsbury Publishing books Sexuality in novels